Putin and Zelenskyy are not ready to end war on their own - White House

According to her, US President Donald Trump seeks to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, but both Putin and Zelenskyy also need to want this.

"Both sides of this war are not yet ready to end it themselves. The President wants it to end, but the leaders of these two countries need it to end and must want it to end as well. And I think, the President will make some additional statements on this later," Leavitt said.

Meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin

Following the summit in Washington, US President Donald Trump proposed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a bilateral meeting.

Zelenskyy stated that a meeting with Putin should take place only on neutral ground in Europe — for example, in Austria or Switzerland. He also did not rule out the possibility of holding talks in Türkiye.

At the same time, Russia’s Foreign Ministry reported that Putin is allegedly ready to meet with the Ukrainian president "only if all the issues requiring discussion at the highest level are thoroughly prepared."

Russia also claimed that Ukraine and Russia have not yet moved closer to holding a top-level summit. A meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin is possible only once the parties agree on the agenda.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president is convinced that the Russians are doing everything possible to prevent such a meeting from taking place.

Trump, for his part, stressed that Russia will face serious consequences if Putin refuses to meet with Zelenskyy.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also warned of possible strengthened sanctions against Russia if a meeting between the Russian President and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not take place in the near future.